Improvement in artificial legs



UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE, l

GEORGE B. J EWETT, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN` ARTIFICIAL LEGS.

Specification forming part of Letters `Patent No.` 49,529, dated August22, 1865.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE B'. J EWETT, of Salem, in the county of Essexand State of Massachusetts, have made a new and useful invention havingreference to Artificial Legs; and I do hereby decla-re the same to befully described in the following specication and represented in theaccompanying drawings, of Which- Figure l is a side elevation, and Fig.`2 a transverse section, of an artificial leg con` Fig. 3 is a top`view, and Fig. 4: a rear elevatiomof the ad-` justable stump-cushion, lobe hereinafter ex-Q structed with my invention.

, ion or movable or soft socket of the permanent or rigid socket, ashereinafter explained; and my invention further consists in a mode ofmaking the iiange and the upper part of the rigid socket, whereby theauxiliary socket is prevented from turning around within the rigidsocket While the apparatus may be in use; and my invention furtherconsists in a peculiar construction of the cushion or soft socket-viz.,with an opening from top to bottom ol' it and with an overlapping tongueto cover the same.

The advantages of my improved pedestaljoint or ankle-joint are to befound in its great strength and amount of bearing-surface, and in itsability to keep lubricated for a long period; also in the facility whichit affords for its being readily supplied with oil for its lubri-`cation.

The advantages incident to the improved movable soft socket are that itsshoulder or `flange, when resting on the top of the case orf rigidsocket, prevents the soft socket from being farther depressed within thecase. Its

der it difficult to separate them. rlhe tonguepiece lenablesa wearer ofthe artificial leg to have the soft socketopen in `rear without dairgerof the iiesh of thestump Lbeing pressed into the opening and becomingpinched therein. The opening enables the wearer, by means of one or moreWrappers `placed around t-he soft socket, to compress it more or lessto'accommodate it to the stump, as :the latter `may become reduced `byabsorption of its iiesh.

Another great advantagelof 1thelimpro-ved soft socket, made ashereinafter described,1is

-that when the stump of the Sieg `tot' the wearer of the apparatus, asfrequently occurs, is -en cumbered by loose `flesh thesocket, whenremoved from its case, can be opened orspread sufficiently to receivethe stump, which, together with the soft socket, :may next be4introduced within the-case or rigid socket. `In

this Way I can effectually obviate the painful strain on the extremityof the stump incident to an attempt to force amass of loose flesh downto its proper place in the socket. very great advantage is conditionedon the opening, the ton gue-piece, and the shoulder of the soft socket..It is altogether peculiar to my improved artificial leg, or one madewith the movable soft socket to fit into a rigid socket and With suchsoft socket constructed in manner as hereinafter explained.

may be larger at the extremity than at its middle can readily be placedin a proper position in the rigid socket, and this without pain orinconvenience.

In the accompanying drawings, A denotes the exterior case or rigidsocket, which may be constructed of sheet metal and in manner asrepresented. Within this is the auxiliary or soft socket C, which ismade of one or more layers of felt or other suitable yielding or elasticmaterial covered with soft leather or other proper substance, thesaidsoft socket 1being separate from the rigid socket and designed to fitthe stump of a leg as nearly as possible. `It is open in rear, or fromtop to bottom, as shown at a, and is provided with a leather tongue, b,which is attached to one side of the opening; and laps on or over theother side, so as to cover the opening, the said tongue being on theinner surface of the said socket C. Furthermore, the soft socket isprovided with a This.

By means of y -the soft socket so constructed a stump which ange orshoulder, c, made at and around its upper part, and to project fromitsouter surface and rest and t on the upper edge of the rigid socket, suchrigid socket being rounded. up at each of its opposite sides, in manneras shown at d, in order to protect the soft socket from beingaccidentally turned around within l the rigid socket. Thus the shoulderor ange,

with the so-projectin g rounded parts of the top of the rigid socket,performs another usefuly function-viz., that of keeping the inner fromturning around within the outer socket.

The rigid socket rises from a pedestal, D, to

which it is connected by a screw-bolt, E, and a nut, F, screwed thereon,the same being as` shown in the drawings. rlhe bolt E at its lower endsprings from the middle of a tube, G, whose ends are arranged betweenthe standards H H, l

that project upward from the foot I. Extending through thestandards andthe tube G is a Yscrew-pin, K, which is passed through one chamber, butthat of preventing the pin from becoming unscrewed accidentally from thenext yadjacent standard H.

A hole, h, leads laterallyT out ofthe chamber fand through the pin, inorder to discharge oil between the wearing or rubbing surfaces of thejoint.

For the purpose of preventing wear of the joint the tube G, when made ofiron, may be l hushed with a tube, t', of some other metalas brass, forinstance.

What I claim as my invention in the abovedescribed apparatus is asfollows, viz:

l. The improved ankle-joint, made with the screw-pin K, itsholding-standards H H, encompassing-tube G, and the oil-chamber,arranged within the pin and provided with a discharging-opening, h, asexplained.

2. The combination and arrangement of the cap-screw F with theankle-joint as constructed, substantially as hereinbefore described.

3. The combination of the shoulder or flange c with the auxiliary socketC.

4. The combination of the raised projections of the top of the rigidsocket with the auxiliary socket and its flange or shoulder, the samebeing for the purpose explained.

5. The construction of the auxiliary socket C' with the opening a, orthe same and the tongue b, arranged asset forth.

6. The auxiliary or soft socket, as made with y the shoulder or flangec, the opening a, and the Viap or tongue b, arranged substantially asdescribed.

GEO. B. JEWETT. Witnesses:

J AMES A. GILLIS, THos. F. HUNT.

M. LA

